A unique collection of glass automotive mascots crafted by René Lalique – including every model and variant the French glassmaker produced for the motorcar – is on public display at the Bugatti Trust in Gloucestershire, UK, until 29 May.
Titled Verre et Vitesse (glass and speed), the display showcases 46 Lalique mascots from a single private collection curated by specialist John Nemeth. Highlights of the exhibition include the ‘Renard’ fox mascot and the rare ‘Hibou’ owl, both made in 1931, alongside the ‘Petite Libellule’ dragonfly, the ‘Tête de Paon’ peacock head, the Victoire ‘Spirit of the Wind’ and the famous ‘Vitesse’ speed mascot from around 1929.
‘This is a unique opportunity to view an example of not only every model of car mascot or hood ornament produced by René Lalique in the 1920s and ‘30s, but every variant of every model,’ said Nemeth. ‘Assembling and exhibiting a collection of R. Lalique car mascots on this scale has not been done before in the UK and likely not in the world.’
Sitting at the centre of the collection is around 30 models previously shown at the Musée Lalique in Alsace, France, as part of its Lalique and the Art of Travel exhibition back in 2016. The Bugatti Trust’s display adds a further 16 model types, making it the most comprehensive public exhibition of Lalique motoring mascots ever assembled.
Verre et Vitesse sits alongside the Bugatti Trust’s permanent exhibits dedicated to the legacies of Ettore, Rembrandt, Jean and Carlo Bugatti, making it a fitting choice for an exhibition celebrating artisanal excellence of the same era.
A second new exhibition, From Race to Road, opens at the museum in late May and traces the engineering story of the Bugatti Type 30 – the marque’s first eight-cylinder production model.
Verre et Vitesse is open to the public until 29 May at the Bugatti Trust Museum and Study Centre, Prescott Hill, Cheltenham. Further details are available here.
There will also be a full article on the exhibition in issue 277 of Octane, which will be published on 27 May. Buy your copy here when the time comes.
